Worst-case Scenario for Ottawa PL: Four Branches Would Close

As the city of Ottawa, OH, seeks to cut $120 million (CDN), the Ottawa Public Library Board has prepared a report that details responses to cuts of five, 10, 15, or 20 per cent. In the worst case, according to the Ottawa Citizen, the library would close four (of 34) branches, close the system for three weeks, and stop the bookmobile. “To decrease the resources of an organization where the demand is increasing all the time–projected to increase all the time–is unjust and unfair,” said one citizen at a hearing. With a 15 percent cut, three branches would close; two would close with a 10 percent cut, and one would close with a five percent.